


I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You

by creatureofhobbit



Category: Harper's Island, Lost
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-27 14:16:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15026468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creatureofhobbit/pseuds/creatureofhobbit
Summary: A prequel to How Can They See With Sequins In Their Eyes?, where Shannon and Hunter meet at Nora's wedding and hatch the plan to con Thomas Wellington.





	I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You

Shannon looked down in disgust at the bridesmaid’s dress Nora had chosen for her to wear as she’d walked behind her down the aisle. Boone would have laughed to himself if he’d seen it; she could just hear him now. “Can you really blame her, Shannon? After all, you did do the same to her at your own wedding, just so that she wouldn’t outshine you.” At least, he would have if they’d been speaking; Shannon hadn’t spoken to him since the day when they’d got back from Australia and she’d found out that he’d told Sabrina everything about the cons she’d pulled on him all those years ago.

“Let it go, Shannon,” Nora had said. “Do you really think it matters now? Especially after what almost happened to you,” she continued, referring to the fact that the flight she and Boone had been supposed to catch back to the U.S. but had missed had crashed into the Pacific Ocean, with only six people surviving. But that was just the kind of crap Shannon had come to expect from Nora, whom she had always suspected of having a crush on Boone anyway. Still, she had to admit that, pissed off as she was, Shannon missed Boone in a way. Maybe it was the wedding that was making her sentimental – Boone had been, after all, the only one of her family to show his face at Shannon’s own wedding. Her cousin Shea and her deathly dull husband Richard had had an excuse, Shannon guessed, given that Maddie had been due to be born any time (was it just her, or was Maddie the creepiest kid ever?) But she didn’t know why Uncle Thomas and the trophy wife, or Trish and whichever boyfriend she’d been with at the time (Shannon couldn’t remember whether it had been Henry or Hunter) hadn’t shown their faces.

In fact, Shannon wasn’t even sure why she’d had an invitation to Trish’s wedding. She’d told herself after the family’s absence at her own that she didn’t care, that she didn’t need that branch of the family anyway, and she hadn’t had much contact with them in years. Part of her was still tempted not to go, even as she’d attended that engagement party with Trish’s friend Chloe pouting because that doctor boyfriend of hers couldn’t get out of his shift to be there, Henry’s best man, Sully, hitting on everything with a pulse, J.D. not even making eye contact with anyone, Lucy’s dog Gigi annoying everyone, and Shannon had even caught the groom himself looking at that friend of his from childhood, Abby, the way Boone used to look at her. Shannon had been stuck between two of Henry’s friends for the dinner – Booth, who just struck her as boring, and Malcolm, who talked about his home brew all night as though she was meant to give a rat’s ass. Cousin Ben had had the right idea not turning up, although he was such a flake anyway. It really wouldn’t have surprised Shannon to see him miss the actual wedding. 

“You look like you need rescuing.”

Shannon barely glanced up, ready to fire off an automatic rebuff only for the words to die on her lips. “Hunter!” she exclaimed in shock as she recognised her cousin’s ex. “What are you doing here?”

“I was friends with Will’s brother at college,” Hunter explained, referring to the groom. “You probably didn’t know him, though. Don’t think he and your cousin were exactly friends.”

“That’s the best man, right?” Shannon asked. “He did look sort of familiar, actually.” And if he wasn’t a friend of her perfect cousin, then that was a point in his favour, as far as Shannon was concerned.

Hunter nodded and smiled, as if reading her thoughts. “It seems strange to have run into you here. I’d forgotten that you and Nora were friends. It doesn’t seem that long ago that you were giving out to us about not showing up for your wedding.” He glanced over Shannon’s shoulder, and Shannon realised he was looking for her husband.

“Oh, that didn’t last.” Shannon explained. “ It must have been a long time since I’ve seen you, if you still thought I was married.”

“Well, here’s hoping it won’t be as long next time.” Hunter raised his glass. “In fact, it probably won’t be. You are going to Trish and Henry’s wedding, right?”

“Well, I was invited,” Shannon replied, “but I’m not sure I really want to go. Did you say you were going?” She was surprised at that – from what she’d gathered, Trish and Hunter hadn’t exactly parted on the best of terms. In fact, at the dinner, Shannon thought she’d heard Trish’s old roommate, Beth, making some comment about how Trish was well rid of Hunter and was much better off with a man like Henry, and Trish had agreed.

Hunter reached into his pocket, and passed her an invitation identical to the one she had received. “Well, I was invited, but not by Trish and Henry. Your uncle sent me this.”

Shannon took the invitation and frowned. “Uncle Thomas? But why would he invite you?”

Hunter laughed. “You must have noticed that he doesn’t have a lot of time for Henry, and doesn’t approve of the marriage.” Shannon nodded; she had picked up on that, although she’d never expected her uncle to do anything about it. But now that she did know, she wasn’t really surprised; Uncle Thomas wasn’t usually a man to sit back and do nothing when he could try and get his own way. Some said that that was where Shannon had got it from.

“So he contacted me to get me to stop it,” Hunter continued. “If I can persuade Trish that I’m the one she wants instead of Henry, he’ll pay me an amount of money to be agreed on. And God knows I could use that money. Things haven’t exactly been going well for me lately.”

“I know that feeling.” Shannon sighed. “So, do you think you’ll be able to persuade her to come back to you?” she asked, finding herself hoping that he wouldn’t. She hadn’t really known Hunter that well while he and Trish were still together, but from what she could see now, she really didn’t think that those two were very well suited. 

“I don’t know,” Hunter shrugged. “Not if her friends have anything to do with it, you know, Lucy, Chloe and Beth. At the college reunion a couple of weeks ago, I heard them all talking about how Trish was so much better off with a good guy like Henry than she was with me.”

Shannon smirked. If they all believed that, then obviously none of them had noticed the way Henry was looking at Abby at the engagement party. Still, never mind. “You know, maybe I could help you with that. A few words in my idiot cousin’s ear about you might soon have her remembering the good times.”

Hunter raised his eyebrows. “Why would you do that for me? Why do you even care whether she marries him or not?”

Shannon thought for a minute. Ordinarily, it was true, she wouldn’t have particularly cared what happened to Trish and whether she got married or not. Why should she? It wasn’t as if any of the Wellington branch of the family had made much effort to keep in touch with her after her mother died, and even less so after Daddy died too. 

“I don’t. But I do care about sticking it to my family.”

Hunter looked at her. “I think we understand each other.”

Play to your strengths, Shannon. Think about what you’re good at. That had been the advice that Boone had given her way back when, while they were on the flight that they eventually caught, when he’d been trying to talk to her about what kind of job she might want to get once they eventually got back to America. Well, she was going to listen to Boone for what might be the first time in her life. She’d play to her strengths; cons were what she was good at. As for Hunter, who knew? Maybe they’d make it work, or maybe he’d be like one of those other guys who she’d never seen again after Boone paid up. Shannon didn’t know. But he was what she needed right now.

Hunter raised his glass in a toast, clinking it against Shannon’s. He didn’t really believe that Trish was ever going to leave Henry for him. But he didn’t care. It was never about Trish for him. If he ever did manage to win her away from Henry, he didn’t think he’d stick with her for long.

Bit of a stroke of luck, running into her cousin like that. She was practically eating out of his hand. He knew that Shannon would do whatever it took to make sure Hunter got his hands on the money. And then, who knew? Hunter caught the eye of some blonde girl across the room, raised his glass again as if to toast her. The world was full of possibilities.


End file.
